Dancing Across Time (Book Two of The Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Chapter Nine: The Impossible Planet

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "You've got to what?"

"We must feed."

"Yeah, I think they mean us," Jessie said shakily, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

The door they came through burst open as well, all with the aliens behind them. Choruses of "We must feed" followed them as the Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver in warning. Jessie picked up a chair with one hand, the other one going for the gun she had in her jeans waistband. "We must feed - " one of the aliens said, before hitting its globe. "You, if you are hungry," it finished.

The Doctor blinked, and Jessie almost dropped the chair in surprise. "Sorry?" the Doctor asked.

"We apologize," the alien said smoothly. "Electromagnetics have interfered with speech systems. Would you like some refreshment?"

"Er . . . "

"Open Door 18."

Another door opened, and a man's voice echoed out. "What the hell?" It sounded in shock. "How did - ?" The aliens parted ways, and an older man, Jessie estimated a little older than Coulson's age, moved up to them in surprise, looking them over before using a wrist comm. "Captain, you're not going to believe this. We've got people." Jessie raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who shrugged at her. "Out of nowhere. I mean real people. I mean two living people, just standing here right in front of me!"

"Don't be stupid," another voice answered. "That's impossible."

"I suggest telling them that."

"OK, I'll pretend like that conversation like we weren't here didn't happen," Jessie said slowly, setting the chair down, "but you're in some sort of space base. You have to have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible."

The man's jaw dropped. "You're telling me that you don't know where you are?"

"No idea," the Doctor confirmed gleefully. "More fun that way."

"Stand by, everyone," a woman's voice came on the intercom. "Buckle down. We have incoming, and it's a big one. Quake point five on its way."

The man pulled open a door. "Through here, now. Quickly! Come on! Move!" Jessie grabbed the Doctor's hand as he scrambled through the door, pulling her with him. "Move it!" the man kept calling as they ran through a corridor towards the end of the hall. "Come on! Keep moving, come on, quickly! Move it!"

"How bout you shut it?" Jessie barked in annoyance.

The man opened the door at the end, and Jessie and the Doctor stumbled down a set of stairs into what appeared to be a control room. The black man with short dreadlocks in the center of the room looked at them in shock. "Oh my God, you meant it."

"People!" a young woman exclaimed with a grin, her voice the one that had made the announcement. "Look at that. Real people!"

"That's us," the Doctor agreed with a matching grin. "Hooray!"

Jessie headslapped him, and he ducked down, looking at her in surprise. "Yeah, definitely real. So I'm J - " She cut off, not knowing if she could trust these people. "Bad Wolf." The Doctor's eyebrows rose, but she shook her head at him. "And this is the Doctor."

"Come on," a dark-haired boy by a control panel scoffed. "The oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be . . . " He walked up and took a closer look at her, and she raised an eyebrow before bringing her hand up and headslapping him, too. He stumbled away, rubbing the back of his head. "No," he managed to say, looking at her in surprise. "They're real. Or she is, at least."